Monday, May 07, 2007

Nibble, Nibble

There's a standard motif in Japanese painting of a teeny-weeny mouse chowing down on a great big daikon. In some renderings, instead of a mouse it may be a rat. Or instead of a daikon, it may be a radish. But the basic idea is the same: small thing eating big thing.*

Mouse and radish (detail). Not my scroll, but the motif is the same.

I've a nice specimen of this is in my collection. I'm so fond of it that I kept it over my altar for two months; usually I change the altar scroll every thirty days. The image of the little guy fearlessly tackling a gigantic project appeals to me at a very basic level. If you've ever stood next to me when I'm barefoot, you know why.

Last night as I was giving the homestead a general wash-and-brush I replaced the mouse with a painting of Jizo, the bodhisattva who watches out for expectant mothers and unborn children. (My sister is half a continent away, but she's uppermost in my mind at the moment.)

The mouse is rolled up and tucked away, but I'm reminded of it every time I pick up the christening shawl. The rounds are getting really long now (somewhere in the area of 600 stitches). When I consider how long they'll be before I start the edging I begin to teeter like Dolores after a wedding reception with an open bar.

So I try not to consider that. The mouse, you will notice, is not standing back casing the daikon and wondering whether he should have ordered the shrimp appetizer instead. He's just eating the bit that's in front of him. And that's what I'm doing. I'm knitting what's in front of me. 50,000 stitches? Big and scary. One stitch? Not scary at all. No sir. No reason to be scared of one tiny stitch.

(Squeak.)

*Omigod, that totally reminds me of a wild story about something that happened in Ogunquit one summer which I'm not going to tell you because I'm sure my mother is reading this.

Yes, sort of like that adage about writing being like driving at night, that the headlights only show you the next bit of road, but that's all right, you can get all the way there that way. Best of luck!

Hey, Franklin, I love the image of the mouse and the daikon. And I love the line, "I begin to teeter like Dolores after a wedding reception with an open bar." I can't wait to see the finished shawl; that's one lucky neicephew. And you've got one lucky sister, to have a brother like you.

The other day you recommended Mary Thomas' Knitting Book. Thanks for mentioning it! I bought a copy, and it's wonderful. The part about constructing block patterns is especially useful at the moment, as I have recently embarked on a cardigan with no fixed plan about how to reach my destination . . .

Thank you for the reminder to take things one step at a time...I needed that today! I think I will go look for a print of the tiny mouse...I have seen it and I think that I need that sort of reminder in my life...lovely!

the shawl is coming out gorgeous and when its done the love and care you have put into it will spill over to your sister and her baby when they are wrapped in it...also another lovely thought to think about...thank you for that as well...

And the lovely thing about working the edging onto the borders (when you get to it)? You do that in chunks. Every repeat of the edging uses up a few stitches, and the border gets eaten up by the edging, in chunks. You stop counting the number of stitches in those l-o-n-g rounds, and count the number of repeats of the edging you've completed.

I don't count stitches in those l-o-n-g rounds, unless I have to: I count off the pattern repeats as I work the round."Okay, here's the marker for the beginning of the round. There's a repeat finished, and now there's another repeat...oh look! I'm at the corner..." And very soon you can say "Here I am back at the beginning of the round again, and now here's a repeat worked..."

There's a nice parallel between you and your sister here: all of the challenges of the next 18+ years, or rows, as the case may be, very scary to contemplate all at once. One step or one stitch at a time, we can do this.

I will now tell you something you already know: the shawl is stunning.

Franklin, your shawl is looking so lovely that I keep checking all the time just hoping for another picture. It's going to be absolutely beautiful; the very definition of heirloom and with so much love knitted in for your sister and the baby.

We had a saying, which I also read in a book..."you can eat a bear if you do it one bite at a time"...of course that's a whole other visual..hehehe.Love the shawl, it's going to be gorgeous. And Ted is right, count the repeats, waaay less daunting.Barb b.

Mighty mouse! I hear you on the mom-reading-blog thing. My mom recently told me she'd seen pics of my new sweater on my blog, and my heart went Klunk! realizing what else she must've seen there. Yikes...

What a wonderful visual, with the mouse! I'm going to keep it in my mind as I get through my days, running, running, running... The shawl is looking amazing! Good, impressive, massive work, one stitch at a time. Excellent.

Just a technical comment on the edge stitches of the center panel.Picking up 1 stitch for 2 rows works on sock heels because of the stretch and the small area involved. Technically it is an incorrect ratio.Picking up one stitch for 2 rows works in garter, but not in stockinette based fabrics which is usually 2 stitches for 3 rows. Slipping the edge stitch would not give you enough stitches to pick up in this case.ANYWAY, knitting is so forgiving that it doesn't matter too much as long as you get the number close to what it needs to be. Then, of course, there is always the number of stitches needed for the pattern repeat that must be considered (most important of all, actually).On another note, you should plan, if you can, to go to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival which took place this past weekend.It is the biggest sheep festival in the world and a must see for all fiber enthusiasts.First full weekend in May every year. Next year May 3-4.Cheers

I love love love the mouse and daikon image--and the idea of taking big projects one small bit at a time. Which reminds me, I have about 6 big projects I ought to be taking at least a small bite out of right now instead of reading blogs...

In Buddhist folklore, the mouse or rat (the nomenclature is, er, fuzzy) was first to recognize that the Buddha had achieved enlightenment, which is one reason it's accorded first place in the zodiac and is special in iconography.

Good luck with your nibbling, mousie, and all good thoughts to your sister.

I'm somebody else's mother. I find it fascinating what family members do and don't try to keep from one another. My imagination, based on the mouse, daikon, 50,000 stitches and my OWN experiences in Olgonquit is probably crazier that even what you and/or Dolores could come up with. Courage!

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